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The Love Triangle- Malema | Mama Winnie | And us

Written by Bongeka
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South Africa is the most exciting place to be right now. It is a period of heightened political conversations around the life of our beloved Mama Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. This article is my expression of freedom of speech and by no means meant to serve any political agenda, but just to share some insights.

It’s been almost 3 weeks since mama passed on and this past Saturday we witnessed as she was laid to rest. The aftermath of her funeral service has lingered through the media, social media and general conversations through campaigns like #JuliusMalemaChallenge.

This campaign serves as a symbol of great humour as millions partook of the ‘challenge’. However, in the opinions of some political analysts there are very serious implications that Julius Malema’s speech carries. At the core of his speech was his recognition of the life of Mama Winnie and her significant, yet sometimes overlooked contribution in bringing about change in our nation. In his speech, he also took a serious jab at those he believed had not afforded Mama the recognition and dignity she deserved during her lifetime.

I am no political analyst; just an ordinary citizen of South Africa and to witness such complex political conversations in my nation leaves me with mixed emotions. This whole season unfolding as it does, feels like a love triangle between Malema’s zeal for Mama, Mama’s Winnie’s life and us.

Who is the “us” in this love triangle?

To me, the “us” is the millions of South Africans and other global citizens who don’t have the full context of history, who are not aware of the political complexities and frankly who are upset that this zeal for Mama’s legacy only seems to be heightened now that she is gone, and we ask the question, how do we truly honour mama?

The “us” is those who recognise the real enemy. The real enemy is inequality in various forms in our nation and across the world. Truth is, if millions of our people still go to bed hungry and live under the most degrading of human standards, we have a lot to do in honour of Mama Winnie’s legacy.

The “us” is those who look critically at campaigns such as #IAMWINNIEMANDELA because we deeply introspect and ask, can we really be Winnie Mandela? Can we sacrifice our marriages and time with our children for a greater cause? Can we suffer discrimination and gruesome physical abuse? Are we willing to be accused of crimes? Are we willing to be often misunderstood?  Are we willing to lose the best years of our lives so that other people’s lives can be better?

I love how the CEO of the Business Women’s Association of South Africa put it, “Mama Winnie had uncommon courage.” It is this “uncommon courage” displayed that has the nation on its feet and why Malema’s speech was this impactful.

Mama Winnie was a gift to a generation and she lived out her purpose as best as she could. If indeed the “us” who say we love Mama and we honour her, for her contribution to the rights that we enjoy today, then we need to rethink how we express this love in our generation.

In my opinion the struggle journey continues. Yes, Apartheid as an institution of racially segregating people was destroyed legally. But the after effects of Apartheid still live on. We must take the baton from Mama Winnie’s generation and recognise that we also must tackle socio-economic inequality head on.

What are your thoughts on this topic? Please feel free to share at bongeka@fresh.penthevision.co.za

Image courtesy of https://blackbusinesscouncil.org .

Nation Building, , ,

Our democracy is…

Written by Bongeka
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“The people of South Africa have spoken in these elections. They want change! And change is what they will get. Our plan is to create jobs, promote peace and reconciliation, and to guarantee freedom for all South Africans. We will tackle the widespread poverty so pervasive among the majority of our people. By encouraging investors and the democratic state to support job creating projects…” Nelson Mandela Inaugural Address, 09 May 1994.

These words from our former president were received with tremendous joy by most South Africans; they spoke of a new chapter and the very essence of a rainbow nation. The ambitious Reconstruction and Development Plan that Mandela spoke of in his inaugural speech, was abandoned after two years of its inception due to its flawed implementation. Then the baton was handed over to the Mbeki administration who implemented GEAR (Growth, Employment and Redistribution) which was aimed at cutting apartheid-era debt.

The big question is, more than two decades into our democracy, how do the youth perceive the state of our nation? The real truth is that the opinions amongst South African youth are as vast as the ocean but one thing is common, the youth is angry and frustrated. Yes there is acknowledgement that so much good has come in the form of opportunities for those previously marginalised. But the struggle really continues. South Africa is divided. Some feel there is still vast inequalities, and believe that during the transition period people who had been tormented during Apartheid were asked to forgive and forget too quickly. Matters were swept under the carpet for the sake of peace. People are upset with the ANC, but they don’t trust opposition parties like the DA because they feel that underlying them is a white supremacist agenda.

The struggle continues in different forms, black youth are encouraged go to school; get good grades; get degrees but then they fall within the unemployment statistics again. Sometimes they need to fight their way into graduate programmes, just to prove themselves so that they can at least land a contract to pay off their student loans. Amongst the student loans, their salaries also need to provide for their families and in most instances the youth end up in a vicious cycle of debt.

Others believe that the new South Africa has created an elite black middle class. A lot more black people have been given access to power in the different factions of society, and the question that is being posed is what are they doing with it? But the issue is also much deeper than this, in that, this has created a unique social stratification where the poor aren’t just black and the rich aren’t just white. The rich become richer and the poor become poorer. The wealth that was meant to be redistributed for the betterment of all has been stuck with a fortunate few.

Those who have benefited from the opportunities afforded post apartheid believe that this poor political leadership crisis is not necessarily a situation unique to South Africa, but that actually there is a global crisis politically and economically and that in itself has had a tremendous negative impact on Africa and South Africa. A common perception shared by most of the youth is that our democracy is threatened. And there are three major issues which pose a threat to the very essence of our democracy; these are poor leadership; high unemployment rate and the declining education system.

Our current National Development plan (NDP) presents a sound proposal on how we can make South Africa a prosperous country, free of unemployment by 2030. It speaks to improving our education system, labour market and other spheres of society but will require much hard work. There is a shared sense amongst South Africans of every race that we need to choose a political leadership that will actively focus on the provision of basic services like water and housing; education and employment thereby restoring dignity to our people and our Democracy.  Nelson Mandela and many others who were the founding fathers of our democracy were all about that.

Perhaps we have to come to an understanding that, Our Democracy is a continuing journey of ups and downs, and right now we are experiencing some of the downs. We need to realize that it’s not just one person who can help South Africa but that we actually need an influential network of like-minded people.

Special thanks to Siphokazi Ntetha, Lihle Malwandla, Dineo Makuru, Kagiso Dlodlo, Tshepo Sesioana and Snenhlanhla Hlengwa who contributed their invaluable comments for this piece.

World Affairs, ,